First, SYNC will soon be able to assist drivers in calling 911 if an accident is detected. Drivers will need a SYNC-paired phone for SYNC 911 Assist to work, and since the SYNC simply uses the driver's phone, there is no monthly charge for the service. Ford tells us that it had to clear hurdles for 911 Assist because the government doesn't want systems to call 911 without human intervention, so a 10-second buffer gives drivers the ability to cancel the call. If the occupants of the vehicle are incapacitated, SYNC will automatically call 911 if the driver doesn't cancel the 911 call after 10 seconds. Ford points out that 911 Assist doesn't need an operator working as a 911 middle-man, giving it a speed advantage over OnStar.

You know, years back when they wanted to have something similar, Lexus (aka Toyota) got their service from OnStar too. They weren't the only one either....many other manufacturers "bought" time/service/etc from GM/OnStar.

But, it's good to see Ford finally catching up. They had to get Microsoft to help them do it, but still. Maybe MS will become so integrated into Fords that the GM/MS joke thread will become a reality for Ford vehicles...lol